Tennis-racket.



E. E. LAROCQUE.

TENNIS RACKET.

APPLICAHON FILED AUG.7,1915.

Pa-fented m. 29,1916.

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E. E. LAROCQUE TENNIS RACKET. APPLICATION FILED 'AUGJE 1915- E 1 1% 5 I E Patented Feb. 29,1916,

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ELI E. 'L'AROCQUE. OF AT'ILEBORO, MASSACHUSETTS.

TENNIS-RACKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2a, 1916.

Application filed new 7,1915. Serial No. 44,137.

To. all 212710111 it may) concern:

Be it known that 1, Em E. Lanoconn, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Attleboro. in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts. have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in lennis-Rackets. of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to improvements in lawn-tennis rackets, and the object of my invention is to provide the frame and handle made wholly of metal and joined together .at the throat in a manner to render these parts interchaugeable. in order to permit replacing of a new rim or frame in case/of breakage. and to give additional-strength in the construction-of the throat to enable the racket to withstand the strain of the blows upon a ball.'

A further object in view is to provide a novel arrangement of lacing the string or gut. in a manner to equalize the strain of the lacing upon each side face of the rim or frame.

in the accompanying two sheets of drawings. wherein like re ference characters indition, taken on line 7(.'ll. of Fig.

cate like parts. Figure 1 is a' face view of a racketembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is an edge. view of the racket. Figs. 3 and 4 are a plan and edge view respectively of the free end portion of the rim. Figs. 5 and 6 are similar views. illustrating thebox head portion of one of the halvesfof the handle.

Fig. 7 is a central longitudinal section edge-' wiseof the handle and throat portion of the racket. line r.-'v. of Fig. 7. Fig. i) is a similar sec- 7. Fig. 10 is-a detail view, showing the manner of attaching the. bridge-piece to the frame. Fig.

11 is a face view of the frame and its bridge member. showing the. manner (if-stringing -the same. Fig. 12 is an edge view of the 'lrame. Figs 1?). i l and '211'0 cross Sections of the frame. taken in lines 13, 14 andlli re spectively. iiiFig. ll.

Referring to thc'drawmgs'. the racket C()11 sists of the rim of the usual contour Fig. S is a cross-section..taken -on racket the end portions of the rim curve inwardly and rearwardly in parallel separated relation, as at (r?.- (1. in Fig. 3. At the throat point c of the frame the latter is. provided with opposed openings a (Fig. 10,) to receive the lugs d integral of a bridge-piece -(Z', which is of like size and shape in cross-section as the rim. The tension of the transverse" strings or guts s hold the bridge-piece -(Z- inplace upon the rim. The handle -bis hollow and oval-shaped in 'crosssection, as seen in Fig. 9. and is struck up to provide two halves -6 Z which are secured together by screws -e in engagement with beveled nuts The widest part of the .oval

stock --bis fiatwise of the frame 7 From the heelend the handle tapers slightly to a box head '-Z) which conforms in outline with the, separated free end portion of the frame and its bridge piece (Z-. \Vhen the halves b b? are together the wall b"'- of each box head overlies the outer face of the respective cross flanges aof the frame and bridge piece d-, in the relative position indicated by broken line in Fig. 3. Each box head I)'.' has -a depression made in its bottom, as at -Z) in Fig. 8, in order to keep the free end portions of the rim in parallel'relation, and a shoulder bis left by each side wall -b'. of each head, so that when the halves b binclose the .free

end portion of the frame, the said shoulder will abut the ends of the central web a of the latter, as at points 'a a*- in Fig. 3.

Having the throat -c'- constructed as described, a very rigid connection is hadbetween the frame and handle, and at the same time permlts'an interchange of parts Whenever one or the other becomes damaged, and J to disassemble the parts for compactness in carrying or for shipment.

Referring to Fig. 11, the frame aand bridge-piece -nl have equi-spaced holes formed through their cross flanges a to receive the stringing of the; racket, and these holes are arranged instaggered pairs at each side of the central web (L as at points Jt, h in Fig. 12 p The course taken by the vertical string 's is from the point i (Fig. 11), to

the bottom of the frame where it loops at I one side of the said Web, as at 6 thence; to the top of the frame where it loops at the other side of said web, as at -i and so on alternately throughout the frame and bridge-piece; each turn or loop -2 being formed in staggered formation at each side of the web e--. From the point -i' the horizontal string i-a takes a similar eonrsi as for the string --.s--, to form its loops i in alternat arrangement. The holes to receive the strings incline toward the net, as shown at y} jin Fig. 1 h and in order to avoid overlying otthe strings at their points of loop, I provide intersecting holes 14-, in order to separate the loop of each string, in the manner shown in Fig. 15. Having the loop'idependent of each other. as deserihed, eqnalizes the strain of the net upon each side face of the frame. Furthern'iore. the frame and bridge being constructed oi metal which T-shaped in cross-seetion, the ten sile strength of the frame is rednred to a minimum and lightness afforded to th i part of the racket. By my (:(mstrnction and arrangement of parts 1 provide a take down racket whereby the handle is pendent of the strings, so that when the parts are disassembled the frame may be easily threaded in the manner stated.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,- r

I. A tennis racket consisting of a frame, a bridge-piece, and both said parts T-shaped in cross-section, holes formed through the cross flan re of both said parts and arranged in. staggered pairs at each side of the cen tral weh of the same, said frame having l'ree portions extending from the hridgepieee in parallel separated relation, to form a throat portionof the racket, a hollow handle made strings -a .smade to,

made inde in like halves and having opposed struck up heads, forming the other portion of the throat to close over upon the outer face of the eross flanges-of said frame and said hridgepieee, and means for securing to gather the halves of the handle.

2. A, tennis racket consisting of a frame and bridge-piece, and hoth said memhers having e'qui-spaced holes formed through their cross flanges and arranged in stag ered pairs at each side of the central web of each member, to permit threading the said members in the manner described, and the free portions of said Frame in parallel separated relatioin a hollow handle divided longitudinally into like halves having heads designed to elose over upon the outer face oi the cross flanges of the frame and cross flange of said bridge-pim'e, aml-mezms for securing together the halves of thehandle. i

3. A tennis racket consisting of a frame and bridge-piece each T-shaped in crosssection, and both said members having equispaced holes formed through their cross flanges and arranged in staggered pairs at each side of the central web of the latter, in order that eaeh string of the net, may form a separate loom at the points of each pair of holes, and thereby equalize the strain of the net upon earh side face of the frame.

In testimony whereof I ailixi my signature in present-0 of two witnesses.

ELI F. LARUUQUE.

Witnesses (I. L. IIAXNIGAN, ln'rmi (lass-ox.

free portions of said 

